This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné being prepared by the Thomas Hart Benton Catalogue Raisonné Foundation. Committee Members: Dr. Henry Adams, Anthony Benton Gude, Andrew Thompson and Michael Owen.

Conversation exemplifies Thomas Hart Benton’s colorful and dynamic depictions of everyday American life, offering a particularly intimate example of the popular, accessible, and distinctly American modernism for which he was acclaimed. The present work likely depicts Benton’s son, T. P. Benton, a talented musician and sailor who was frequently portrayed by his father. The painting’s undulating, verdant landscape and rutted dirt road suggest a rural setting, likely related to Benton’s longstanding engagement with Martha’s Vineyard, where he spent summers for more than fifty years. Benton rarely painted the ocean, once remarking that “the sea is damn difficult to paint and I was never able to master it to my satisfaction.” Instead, he favored the island’s hilly countryside and abundant foliage, seeking to capture the sensation of moving through its landscape on foot or by car. The work also possesses a characteristic sense of humor. Its title, Conversation, playfully refers to the figure’s interaction with the small squirrel perched in a tree at left.